There’s some pain, some stupidity, a dash of sweetness, and a tinge of awareness that ignites between our couple. Our hero refuses to take things lying down anymore, and that means explosive confrontations with everyone. Let’s just say, most of his actions are highly regrettable. But as it turns out, you can be the best love guru to someone else and not have a damn clue what to do when your own heart is breaking.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

EPISODE 13: “Without even a promise to return…”

Joo-yeon goes on her movie date following the awkward incident where her boyfriend walked up to her hugging her roommate. She steals peeks at him all through the movie, wondering why he didn’t ask anything, to give her a chance to explain.

But then when she thinks about it, she can’t exactly explain that she once kissed Wan, that he’s always got his arms wrapped around her, that she sometimes sleeps in his bed, or that he tells her he loves her at every opportunity. She realizes she can’t actually explain anything, except to insist that to her, he’s just a Sweet Potato.

Tae-yoon finally makes her say what’s on her mind, so Joo-yeon has to bring it up first and ask why he isn’t getting mad. He just calmly says he’s miffed, it’s true, but he doesn’t want to argue about it. Instead he just says he trusts her to clean up that relationship.

She starts to tell him again that Wan is basically family, but Tae-yoon points out that he’s a grown, successful man who could live anywhere, and there’s no real need for them to live together. He just tells her to fix it and refuses to get mad about it, not wanting to waste that kind of energy. What, that’s frankly more infuriating, at least for me.

She comes home and immediately calls for Wan, and realizes that she doesn’t even know how long she’s been calling out to Wan first thing, every time she steps inside the house. She can’t fall asleep until she knows he’s home either, and eventually gets back out of bed to go check on him.

He’s already asleep in his bed, which puts her at ease. She tucks him in and sweeps the hair out of his face, and then catches herself again, wondering when their skinship became so easy and natural.

But he stirs awake and then kisses her hand, and that’s enough to jolt her back to her senses. She yells at him to stop all the skinship and stop telling her he loves her. He guesses that she fought with Tae-yoon because of him.

I love that she tries to reintroduce the word “noona” to him, which he just scoffs at. She says this might be her last relationship, and that there’s no hope if it doesn’t work out with Tae-yoon. Is this really what you think?

Wan points out that he’s right here, but she crushes his heart in one devastating blow: “Even if the sky falls down, I’ll never see you as a man!” Oof. She tells him to stop with the handholding and telling her he loves her, because there’s someone else she wants to hear those words from now. Poor Wannie.

She heads back down and gets a text from Tae-yoon asking if she’s up, and decides to send him a picture of the immaculate living room and lies that she was up cleaning.

She giggles and then goes to the greenhouse to water a plant and brag that she grows things too, which is when Wan comes downstairs and gapes in disbelief at the blatant lies. (Not to mention the fact that she just overwatered the cacti.)

He looks at the texts she sent and asks if she has no shame taking credit for his work, and then Tae-yoon texts back that he loved the soup she gave him last time so he’s trying to make some. Haha, their whole relationship revolves around Wan’s domesticity.

He trudges to the kitchen and starts prepping rice for breakfast since he’s up anyway, and Joo-yeon beams to see that he’s not too mad and hugs him. She doesn’t even realize she’s breaking her own rule and he has to ask what she’s doing before she takes a step back in surprise.

He asks what he’s supposed to do when she’s the one who’s always sticking to him first, leaning on him, asking for piggyback rides, falling asleep in his bed, following him around the house, coming to find him in the studio if he’s not home…

He suddenly stops mid-rant and stoops down to peer into her eyes curiously. The more nervous she gets the more he smiles, “Do you…like me?” Omo.

She laughs, but he thinks he’s onto something and wonders if maybe somehow she started to like him. He points out her affectionate hair-touching behavior upstairs, and she counters that he does that all the time. Though he has the perfect comeback: “Because I like you! Of course I want to touch you!”

When she runs out of excuses, she just runs away from the conversation. They each sit up in bed, her talking to the giraffe and him to the old picture of Shing Shing, and she asks why she did that. Wan: “Even you think you’re weird, right?”

Min-jung runs into baby daddy Min-seok while sorting garbage, and he can’t help himself and starts to nag her about the things she’s eating and the heels she’s wearing, which are all bad for the baby.

She has to remind him that he’s selling his place and leaving, so this is definitely overstepping his bounds. He can’t exactly argue, so they leave it at that.

Min-jung chats with Joo-yeon about it before work, and Joo-yeon asks if she has zero interest in trying to make it work with the father, and if marriage is out of the question. Min-jung just doesn’t want to rely on a man, and considers all of that a fairytale.

She figures that she’s dated so many duds that even if a great man came along, she wouldn’t even recognize him or know what to do with him. That triggers Joo-yeon’s thoughts and she wonders if Wan’s early assessment of her was true—that she was deeply damaged.

Joo-yeon asks if fairytale fantasies don’t exist, or if they’re just considering them too unrealistic and therefore failing to catch them.

Min-jung tells her to snap out of it: “That bitch Cinderella met her prince because she was from aristocracy by birth. And Snow White, that bitch was a princess too. We’re just the marketing directors of the salt factory.” Pwahaha I love her.

In the office, Hee-jae gets the hiccups, and Woo-young just casually tosses out that kisses cure hiccups. He reaches out to stop her from picking up a broken mug, and warns her again that a kiss is coming. This time, contact!

Too bad they’re at work though, because two seconds later Joo-yeon and Min-jung walk in to interrupt them, only they’re out of sight behind a table. Thinking they’re alone, they continue talking about Min-jung’s pregnancy, which the whole team (and even Tae-yoon around the corner) can overhear loud and clear.

Her teammates congratulate her, but Tae-yoon isn’t so warm and fuzzy, and calls Joo-yeon to his office. He asks what she was thinking giving a promotion to an unwed mother-to-be. Ugh, could you be more offensive?

Joo-yeon argues that Min-jung is good at her job and they can work around her pregnancy, but Tae-yoon reminds her that their company isn’t so open-minded.

He tells her to order Min-jung to circulate fake wedding invites and then take a long vacation so she can have the baby quietly. SERIOUSLY. Seriously? I don’t even know where to begin to tell you all the ways in which you are making my blood boil.

Joo-yeon can’t believe that’s the only option—to pretend to be married for the rest of her entire career here? But Tae-yoon tells her to suck it up because that’s her job now, to think of the company before any individual employee. Is it also her job to discriminate against people with ovaries, or is that just a perk? Sorry, okay, I’m done now.

She comes out of the meeting to Min-jung just looking over at her with these searching eyes. Joo-yeon narrates, “I never knew it until then, how much a person’s eyes could say. And that more feelings could be exchanged that way than with a hundred words.”

She steps outside to be alone, and calls Wan hoping he’d give her different advice. But as soon as he picks up she hangs up, wondering why she keeps depending on him. He calls back and she lies that she misdialed, and he teases, “Of course you did, because you’re always thinking of me.”

She decides to ask Tae-yoon for something a little warmer, as a boyfriend and not her boss, but he beats her to it with a pair of coffees.

Min-seok goes grocery shopping, where he’s dogged by baby items everywhere he looks. He shakes off the urge to buy them all, but then he can’t resist the strawberries, and starts throwing piles of them into his cart, and then back out, and then back in. He finally just snaps and has an emotional breakdown right there in the produce aisle.

Se-ryung comes by to pick an outfit for Wan’s radio appearance, and notes one of the potential projects lying on his desk that involves going back to the States. Noooooooo.

They go for a walk and she says that her company is really struggling right now—she’s out of cash and she only managed to pay half-salaries last month, and even started to look into borrowing cash to keep her business afloat.

Wan asks why she won’t just go back to work with Joo-yeon, which even Se-ryung admits would be best, but she can’t bring herself take the loss in their power game. She only tells Wan because he won’t use it against her, and cries as she says she’s having a really hard time letting go of Tae-yoon.

At home that night, Wan mentions that Se-ryung cried and asks why Joo-yeon can’t be the one to hold out her hand—she has the boyfriend and she’s the one with all the power here.

She just gets upset that he’s always making her out to be the bad guy and sulks in her room. (Were those “Please” shirts couple tees or is she wearing his?)

He comes in to cajole her, and when she pouts and turns her back, he reaches for the giraffe instead, asking to hold it for a while. She thinks he means her, and leaps up to argue, and then steals the giraffe back just to cover up her embarrassment.

He finally teases her enough to get her laughing, but Tae-yoon calls and breaks up the fun. He’s outside her house because he wants to see her, and she jumps to reapply her makeup.

But Wan grabs her wrist and asks her not to go, arguing that they saw each other all day. He asks if what they’re really doing is dating—all the masks, the scheming, the withholding and effort. She just breaks free and goes toward the door but he follows her and stops her again, refusing to let her leave.

She gets angry and asks why he’s intruding in her life, but he just barrels on through without listening: “Is it me or Kang Tae-yoon?” He asks her to think about them disappearing from her life forever—which one would she want to remain by her side?

Wan: “If I disappear, can you live?” Joo-yeon: “Of course I can. I lived perfectly well before you came.” She breaks free and storms out, leaving him deflated again.

Tae-yoon asks her to come over to his place, but she makes up an excuse about having work to finish, so they decide on a date instead.

Meanwhile, Min-seok comes knocking and brings Min-jung a box full of healthier food and vitamins to take, worried about her constantly eating instant processed food while pregnant.

She starts to tear up at the gesture and asks cautiously if he wants to see a picture of the ultrasound, but he gets scared off by that and says this is as much as he’s capable of doing. Gah, it’s almost more crushing to keep getting her hopes up.

Tae-yoon asks if Joo-yeon has broached the subject of moving out with Wan, and she tells him that she can’t. She says Wan was only supposed to stay in Korea for a year anyway, so she plans to just let him stay there for the rest of the time. Why all this talk of Wan leaving? It’s making me sad.

He drops her off and leans in to kiss her, just as Wan steps outside. He calls out: “Hey, Shin Joo-yeon! How long are you going to two-time us both?” Oh no you di’n’t. Waaaaan.

She just stands there gobsmacked as he demands to know which of them she’s going to choose. She finally comes to and calls him crazy, but he just keeps going and asks Tae-yoon if he can live without her.

Tae-yoon: “And if I can?” Wan: “I can’t.” That just makes Tae-yoon laugh smugly, and he tells Joo-yeon it’s time to kick Wan out of the house.

He turns to Wan with a glare: “Let’s see if you live or die. There’s no such thing as a love you can’t live without. The fact that you can say that with such certainty is just proof that you’re still a child.”

He tells Wan he’ll discover just how pathetic a one-sided love really is, and then flips on a smile to say goodnight to Joo-yeon.

She orders Wan to follow her inside and fumes, reminding him that he’s the one who told her to follow her heart.

He tells her he was wrong about everything and not to listen to him anymore. He argues that even now she can’t kick him out, but she corrects him—one bad move and he’s out.

He broods in his room and tells the picture of Shing Shing not to smile at him anymore: “You were wrong. There’s no such thing as a love that’s only bright and shining and smiling. It’s all petty, and childish, and a giant mess.”

Hee-jae and Woo-young go hunting for accessories, and when a bag catches her eye, he encourages her to buy it instead of always scrimping and saving and stressing. I like that he’s not trying to buy it for her, but nudging her to change her perspective.

Se-ryung finally calls Joo-yeon, and Min-jung jumps to join them. The air is frosty, of course, and both Se-ryung and Joo-yeon maintain their stupid bullheaded positions, each wanting the other to be the first to cave.

Suddenly Min-jung interrupts them to say she’ll beg—will that do? Haha. Before they can even argue, she gets up and says she’ll kneel if she has to, and makes a big show of getting on her knees and chides them for acting like that’s so freaking difficult.

She points out that she’s survived in this crazy workplace longer than both of them, and then adds that she’s about to have a baby out of wedlock: “Can any of you say you’re worse off than I am?”

It’s the perfectly shocking thing to break the ice, and before they know it, Se-ryung is laughing and admitting that she broke up with Tae-yoon. Though of course she then outs Joo-yeon for dating him.

They argue that Joo-yeon hasn’t shared a secret of her own accord, so she begrudgingly admits to liking this drinking party. Aw, can you guys finally all be friends now?

Wan records a song that he clearly wrote about Joo-yeon. And then he cleans the house… and packs a bag. Wannie, no. He leaves a copy of the song behind, titled “Love is Smiling,” and then grabs his guitar and suitcase and heads out.

Joo-yeon walks up just as he’s getting ready to leave, and he’s happy to hear that she made up with Se-ryung. She asks if he’s coming or going, and he takes a step closer to her. She reminds him that she’s going to kick him out if he breaks her rule.

He just takes another step: “You’re going to kick me out for good today.” He swoops in and pulls her close with a hand to her waist, as he leans in closer: “Because I’m going to kiss you.”

They linger just looking into each other’s eyes for a moment, and then he kisses her. She pounds his chest (Urg, does it have to be forced, Show?) but then she ends up grabbing his jacket as they kiss.

He pulls back, and with one final, “Be well, Shin Joo-yeon,” he walks away, leaving her stunned.

COMMENTS

Wannie, why’d you have to do it? Why’d you have to go? I knooooow. He had to, otherwise she’ll never realize how much she misses him and just how much she’s come to rely on him and his Sweet Potato ways, and fall in love with him. It had to be done. But I refuse to not be a grumpypants about it. Hmph. That said, I do actually look forward to tomorrow’s fallout, because I’ve been dying for her recognize how much she actually feels for him. And if pain and separation is how we have to get there, let us embrace the pain.

At this point leaving is probably the most mature thing he could do, considering his boneheaded moves in this episode. Suddenly forcing an ultimatum on a person who hasn’t even figured out if she likes you? That doesn’t seem all that bright. And then making her look like a two-timer in front of her boyfriend? Oy. And what’s with all the wrist-grabby? I knew all that too-good-to-be-true behavior would come with a dark side eventually, but that was a full-on stupidity spiral.

It’s important that he actually learns though—that love isn’t all roses and smiley faces, and there’s no such thing as a love without the mess. It’s sort of what I want to scream at Joo-yeon and Tae-yoon, who are so disengaged from their relationship so as to ignore things by choosing to be polite. They’re somehow under the impression that this is a more enlightened adult way to have a relationship, like they’re above all the petty squabbling and immature hurt feelings, but I just want to wedge my way into the conversation and ask, Or is it that you just don’t care? There’s compromise and understanding, and then there’s refusing to engage because you were so burned the last time.

At least we’re making progress with Joo-yeon, who’s finally starting to ask herself why she relies on Wan so much, and more importantly—what she feels for him. And while Wan’s methods were dumb, I don’t disagree that she needs to sort this stuff out before breaking hearts left and right. I trust that his moving out will give her the kick in the pants that she needs to figure out her heart. That, or the deadpan giraffe will get it out of her.

I loved the tension in this episode. I am so glad that Wan is finally giving voice to his frustration, and making Shing Shing aware that she has to make a choice. Who does she really want? Him or Tae-yoon? I think moving out will eventually prove a good decision for Wan, because there’s no way for her to realise how much she feels for him until he isn’t there anymore.

Last episode Wan really started to make unsustainable compromises in order to hang on to hopes for a relationship with SS. Normally when people do that the internal emotional tension will demand resolution sooner than later. So I thought him making her choose was realistic; even though from a logical standpoint this choice was premature.

And I think that was partially the explanation for his “choose one of us” confrontation with SS and TY. It was part outburst-of-internal-tension, and part accurate observation. SS has been leading him on. If a man likes you, you don’t treat him like a boyfriend unless you’re trying to keep him attached. And when she officially started dating TY, the closeness of her relationship with Wan officially transitioned into ’emotional affair’ territory. So, even if the timing of Wan’s confrontation was angst-driven; I think that his perspective was entirely justified.

And to prove that he was right, SS just stood there after Wan told her he was going to kiss her. Pounding on his arm as he was kissing her was just window-dressing.

My questions: 1-After JW lists all the things JY does to him and around him (when they are in the kitchen and he is preparing breakfast for the next morning), doesn’t he say “wait a minute” Or “wait”? Viki translated it as “No way.” It sounded like “chakaman,” (sorry for misspelling it. I just wanted to write how it sounded). Isn’t “solma (sorry for misspelling again)” “no way?” I know words (or expressions) can have more than one meaning, and I was just curious about what he said (and what I heard). It would make sense to me if he said “wait (a minute or a second)” because his thoughts were going one way, and he suddenly realized that she might be falling for him, and so he asked her. 2-Is “dangshin-ie” an affectionate form of “dangshin?” (and the way JW uses “dangshin” in this drama is already affectionate). 3-Was Cinderella noble or from a royal family? (I thought she was just noble, fallen from grace?). 4-Why did JW do the air quote sign when he said, “since I arrived in Korea?” 5-That movie TY and JY went to watch was “Miss Granny,” right?

I actually liked this ep., where JW learns that love is not all bright and shiny, and is instead messy, and it hurts. He might have thought that he could just patiently wait for JY to “get it,” and come to him (when she is fully ready), however, that is not working out so well. I had been feeling that JY was dating two guys, kind of like having her cake and eating it too. She might actually be liking both guys, or as she said, she has a hard time believing that an amazing guy who is all about her could want to spend his life with her, so she doesn’t even want to see if that could happen to her. That would explain why she continuously put JW in the little brother box, which he isn’t (you are not supposed to kiss your little brother in that way).

I also liked that TY showed his jealousy by asking JY to ask JW to leave (well, kick him out). He does choose to date “the adult way,” as he calls it. However, as an adult, who is also dating an adult (presumably), why do you (TY) expect her to listen well and do all that you ask her to do? How about asking her for her opinion in the matter and discussing it with her, instead of telling her what to do? And what TY had to say about the company policies (regarding MJ’s position and her pregnancy), WOW, just WOW!!! TY is the boss (or sunbae), couldn’t he advocate on behalf of MJ? She has been there for 10 years, and as she said, she begged when she had to, and knelt when she felt that she had to. MJ has been loyal and hard working (I am assuming). Can’t that be rewarded and encouraged? I know he wants to just follow the policies, but you can’t even try and see if something can be done for MJ? And asking MJ to lie about her status? Is it time for MJ to look for another job? Also, TY knows (or has to know) that JY and MJ are close, yet he kind of coldly told her that she should tell MJ what the policies at work are, and lie. Not very supportive, TY. I was glad to see that he did go and apologized to JY about what he had asked JY to do.

MS and MJ continue to tug at my heart. MS by worrying about the baby and about MJ (even though he doesn’t want to), and doing all those thoughtful things he did for MJ. He does look like father and good companion/husband material to me. I hope he will be willing to walk through his fears of failing, MJ could help him with that. And MJ who (likes me) keeps liking what she is finding out about MS.

Er I don’t follow Viki so I don’t know about translations there but from what I heard it’s definitely wait a minute – 잠깐만 (jamkkanman).

Sorry that’s the only question I could answer, because I’m curious as to why they thought Cinderella was royalty (I’m guessing there’s less distinction aka they probably associated nobility with royalty which isn’t too far of a stretch anyway?) too. I have no idea about 2 or 4 and GF answered 5 below.

I haven’t watched the episode yet but the recap says that Cinderella was aristocracy and aristocracy =/= royal. So basically MinJung’s point was that fairytales only happen to those fortunate enough to be born into privileged families while they are born as commoners, destined to fulfil commoner duties and struggle through commoner woes and they have no time to bother with nonsensical fairytales because they’re trying to feed themselves.

regarding company policies, is there really a company that requires women to get married first before giving birth in this days and age? I know for a fact that Korea and Japan’s population are already imploding, that’s why they are encouraging women to give birth. Min-jung should be applauded for her decision to keep the baby. That is already hard enough decision, don’t make her create a farce of a marriage.

Being in China atm and from what I have seen here yes being married before having a baby is the big thing. One of my housemate mentioned that his parents did not marry at all and you should have seen the shocked looks on peoples faces. Single mothers are being looked down on a lot more over here, especially if you had a child out of wedlock.

Yes this is not to say that everyone is like that, (nor that China and Korea would be the same) but there is definitively a higher connection between marriage before baby in company life over here. The company I work for as well require women to apply before getting pregnant (which gives you 6 months to conceive before you have to reapply). Consequences of not applying before hand is to have your wages cut. Plus everyone know who is married and who is not.

I’m loving this show sooo much. It’s light, not dragged, logic (well..by logic, I mean logic for a romantic drama) and the guys are handsome (my first & foremost criteria for choosing a Kdrama. Not gonna lie)

The English title for the movie is “Miss Granny,” and the literal title is “Suspicious Girl,” per AsianWiki. I asked the same question in my post, and I guessed it right. You can see for yourself here. The actors in the thread link posted by GF are the same that you see on the AsianWiki page.

He realized she may have feelings for him and expected too much… Then the jealousy made him crazy and maybe not him self… Arg it sad but him leaving the house is the only solution for both of them…I hope they will come to each other again in ep 14 ….
Thx GF

It’s true. Poor Wannie just doesn’t quite know what to do with his own heart breaking. It’s like the moment he saw a glimmer that she just might like him he couldn’t help but pounce on it and then when she didn’t come around fast enough he was too hurt to stop and think.

I totally agree that though badly done on his part, it was a good experience for him to see that love isn’t always smiling.

And can I just say that there were two pretty awesome moments in this episode? One I’ve been waiting for since episode one: Sung Joon singing. Oh swoon. I mean you can’t have him in a drama with a music related career and not take advantage of that amazing voice, right? Sorry it came with heartbreak there Wannie, but no regrets on my part

Awesome number two, pretty much made my night: Min-Jeong, all episode long. Respect to her on many points here, and in particular owning Joo-yeon and Se-ryung. I was a little skeptical at first whether or not it was a good idea for her to tag along to the meet up. Who wants to sit through their meetups, their pride makes it a tight squeeze. But she was just what they needed, cut’em both down to size in the best way possible, not by playing their game better, but by showing them just how silly it is.

Now to wait for the greatness that will be tomorrow’s fallout. If they deal with that all tomorrow, does that mean we can spend 15 and 16 with Wan and Joo-yeon snuggle time, maybe some serenading thrown in for good measure?

I think Hee-jae isn’t really ready for a relationship right now. She needs to do some growing by herself. I don’t dislike the two of them together necessarily, or even dislike them as individuals, but she is one that I have found myself hoping would end the show alone so she can become her own person.

To qutoe The Master’s Sun, when the heart doesn’t tell you the truth, pain gives the answer. Joo Yeon’s acid reflux was telling the truth this ep! Looking forward to all the cathartic feels tomorrow. Loved the preview. Poor Wannie. Loved SJ’s singing.

So turns out that I really like the storyline between Min Seok and Min Jung even though they started out so ridiculously…and this episode really broke my heart. I think Wan just had it up to HERE with Joo Yeon’s denial and even though he had been striving to be her ‘ideal’ man he’s just not getting ‘rewarded’…the nail in the coffin was probably her telling him to stop the skinship and affectionate name-calling etc. Man. The tears that leaked out because of the ending when he was recording the song and doing one last clean up around the house. Where do I find this man in real life??? …Dramabeans. Continuing the tradition of ruining real life expectations one drama at a time.

Thanks GF for the fab recap!! Can’t wait for the pain tonight. BRING IT ON I SAY! But Wan better be HAPPY at the end of it or I am sure we will have Words To Say.

“Dramabeans. Continuing the tradition of ruining real life expectations one drama at a time.” this so freaking true, and I like the storyline between Min Seok and Min Jung too.
I just cant for Wannie to come back and live with shingshing again, its were he belongs.

OMG That comment about single mom just boils my blood!!! Is it even LEGAL in Korea not to give 3 months maternity leave? I…just…can’t!!!

My favorite parts: WY just egged JH into buying that purse, not buying it for her. And MS and MJ…please let that relationship finally be solid. There’s just this vulnerable kindness about MS that I just get sucked in. Oh, and I love the way the writer ends the hardheadedness of SR and JY. I’m so sick that pride is thought of to be so lofty that it’s more important than your personal responsibility to pay your employees their full dues!!

Hmmm, not sure how I feel about the two ultimatums JY is given – one by each guy – I also thought Wan would leave before now, so it’s not unexpected in terms of his and JY’s relationship and where the kdrama is taking us – it felt a little too expected and scripted. This kiss was nice – a goodbye for now but a place to return to when JY makes her decision that Wan is a man (and he is for sure~). Barring a total crash ending, I have to say this is one of the better kdramas in a while.

I think Taeyoon’s character was made to be a not-good boyfriend material. Geezz what’s with the smirk and overconfidence! and the discrimination against pregnant women out of wedlock! I know that’s a really big deal in Korea but do you really have to point that out.

Haa, Yup. It seems like the writer wants us to like him and hate him whenever it suits the plot. So his character is a little bi-polar. Adorable and understanding one minute and infuriatingly dense and misogynistic the next.

Tae Yoon is scary— he reminds me of a younger version of Kim Tan’s dad in heirs. Haha.

But I have to admit that it’s sexy that he’s sooo in control. He’s the cliche of a career man. I’d love to see him go crazy over a girl and totally lose it (which he never did with SR). I can see why he and SR are so attracted to each other, caught up in a game of controlling each other and who gets to be the winner, but they’re not for each other. He’s probably going to end up with a delicate or clumsy girl he needs to protect— but that’s from another unwritten drama. Hehehehe

Yes, Wan giving an ultimatum was kind of out there, he is the one who moved in, made their living situation and interactions the way they are, the one pursuing, so yes, telling JY to choose between him and TY is a bit much, she doesn’t see what the issue is as she does not consider him a boyfriend. Even though she may have developped feelings for him, it really has been all one-sided on his part. But I do think all this time she has been in denial.

She fell in love with Allen Joo first, before TY, but then disregarded that because it ended up being Sweet Potato. She then transferred those feelings to TY, I really believe that when she didnt know who she liked, it was Wan, but she blindly thought it was TY disillusioned by Allen Joo/Wan and now she is so trying to still believe that it is TY she likes and want. Ah, all of this could have been avoided had she realized back then that it was Sweet Potato all along.

I think it’s interesting that she always thinks of him as being part of a fairytale. Why is it so unattainable? So what if Wan still believes in true/pure love, can it not become real? Why do they portray older single ladies as totally disillusioned/damaged? Well, as a single older lady, it is true though, I no longer think about true love, probably passed my by already. But hey, if I had someone like Wan, I would not hesitate! He would probably be not only my last chance, but also only chance!

I see nothing in TY, and I think SR too deserves better! I hope she finds someone who loves her for who and what she is. TY is too weak and selfish.

Hope tomorrow’s episode brings us some more realizations, and finally JY and Wan together on the same page!
But no matter how I think about it, even if they do decide to get together, there will be issues to still overcome, like their parents! Can you imagine both of their mothers’ reactions?! Probably wont have time to get there, but they have some ways to go.

Yeah Girlfriday…with only three (3) episodes left “let us embrace the pain.”

The giraffe never fails to have right look/reaction and come across as endearing in all of its scenes with Sweet Potato and Shing Shing.

After an episode airs, I get a kick out of saying “Wannie, Wannie, Wannie” and thinking (sometimes lamenting) about the pros/cons of his actions.

So far, I appreciate the fact that Kang Tae-Yoon as a character is in sharp contrast to Joo-Wan. Shin Joo-Yeon’s options are two men with contrasting personalities and ideas about relationships. Neither guy is perfect, without flaws, or has all the right answers when it comes to love and dating. I commend I Need Romance 3 for resisting the standard having the 2nd leads be evil characters devoted to acts of treachery in order to be entertaining.

Min-seok holding onto the strawberries and having the emotional breakdown in the produce section of the grocery store was funny.

Ugh, all the wrist grabbing and forced kisses… Still love Wan though. I just hope he regrets all stupidity.

Also, the entire episode, I was just begging Wan to just pack up and leave. Because I totally agree. That’s the only way for Joo-yeon to realize how much she cares about Wan. It’s only in his absence will she be forced to really think about her relationship with Wan and what he means to her.

Well JY was in boyfriend heaven there for a bit. She had the luxury of having a boyfriend who she thinks she likes but sucks as a boyfriend and a man at home who provides all of the boyfriend duties without any of the perks. Now that Wan has distanced himself from her, she’ll find out how unfulfilling her relationship with TY really is and just by looking at the preview for next episode, it looks like she’s totally devastated by Wan’s absence.

You know they say pet dog or cat or snake sometimes looks like their owner. I can actually see Wan’s face in that stuff giraffe..creepy isnt it?

I m not watching this show till JY turns around & like Wan back. Similar to all the past Romances, this is also one emotionally complicated show. Tae Yoon’s character,-they are everywhere in this world, so full of themselves & unbelievably selfish. Sometimes I wonder what their mother taught them when they are young.

Hahaha…that is so true and funny! The giraffe does look like Wan! Never paid much attention to it until you mentioned it. Now I too will see Wan when looking at that giraffe. So tall and lanky! Thank you!

Although I knew the angst was coming (can’t have too much happy in a drama)…but poor Wannie :'( I know this’ll finally make Joo-yeon wake up and smell the coffee, and realize that she’s becoming more dependent of Wan because her feelings for him are growing into a little thing called Love. It is a bit stupid of him to give her the ultimatum when she was oblivious to the reality of her feelings for him…but I want JY to “suffer” when she realizes the importance of good ol’ Goguma. That’ll serve her right for making our poor Wannie suffer…

Ugh, if there’s anyone out there whose still liking Tae-yoon…this ep probably turned you off — or you’re just in denial that he’s still a “great” guy. Wtf, man…with every passing ep, my dislike for TY grows even more, that I want to reach in the TV and b*tch slap him silly. His reaction to Min-jung (who I definitely warmed up to today)’s pregnancy reminded me of what Kim Sun-ah’s character in I Do, I Do…but also the gall of him to say those things?!? Ugh, what a jerk! Are appearances that damn important??

And JY…girl, you crazyyy if you honestly still believe that TY is dating you for you, much less that he even likes you in the least. If my guy, who supposedly likes me, said to a rival (for your affections) that he could live without you, much less in your presence…doesn’t that mean he don’t give a damn about you?!? I mean, seriously…you gotta be deaf and blind if that doesn’t affect you at all! Calling Wan childish? Nope…you, sir, are immature and a douchebag to pretend-date JY for your own job security (since it’s looking more and more obvious that his two-pronged motivation for “dating” JY is 1) so that she can’t get promoted over him, and 2) so that this’ll make SR jealous). Punkb*tch much??

I wanted Wan to have a comeback for him, to wipe that smirk off his face…but alas, no dice. But the kiss!!! If that doesn’t make JY swoon, the girl has no brain…even if she’s been so “damaged” from her exes, does it excuse her from being oblivious to Wan? I’m thinking not…

Hee-jae/Woo-young are taking a back seat to MJ and Min-seok…while they’re in denial (to each other’s faces), it’s nice to see they’re slowly coming around to what looks like acceptance of their bond and, likely, marriage. MS’s breakdown in the mart was a nice point to see, how, despite his supposed unwillingness towards marrying her to take responsibility…he’s realizing how his subconscious is leading him towards that.

By the way, much kudos for Nam Goong-min for his acting…despite my ranting hatred against TY 😉

I want to talk to a giraffe too. tell me honestly, who has a secret desire to sneak into the toy department in the mall and buy a huge giraffe? I so totally want one. the fact that you´d be staring it in the eye cracks me up

Every drama needs a prop like that. That giraffe can be part of press material hahah

I like that what binds the stories of the three girls together is the theme of being so in line with reality that they forget themselves. Whether it is what they like or what they want or their deepest desires.

Hahaha. I think I know where your trauma is coming from. We may have been on the same ship once upon a time. Luckily, I can feel the gods of potatoes are with me on this one. Whew. (this is the first drama I watched since ultimate troll of 2013)

This is the first episode I started muttering under my breath in frustration about our two main men. While the last episode had me warming up to Tae Yoon, this episode had me wanting sew his mouth shut WITHOUT anesthetic and a rusty dull needle. Fake marriage!? Not wanting to waste energy on emotions?! The kicker though was saying in front Joo Yeon that he could live with out her. Ok, bye bye! *Kicks him down the stairs.*. Now Wan, wrist grabbing is not ok, and never ever give an ultimatum. That was just stupid, however since your heart is breaking, your mind is messed up so I forgive you. Especially after that kiss! Loved how he started and ended with a kiss. 😉

My favorite scene was when Min Jung crushed the pride battle by being the only adult in the room with Joo Yeon and Se Ryung. Loved how they started to bond!

I’ll never understand sexism. I was raised in a family where the women are treated with respect and at the very least as equals. Which leads me to being unable to understand male sexism, that as far as I can tell stems from some deep seeded misplaced fear, or women that don’t demand that they be treated with respect and as equals. Which okay I know sexism is still a big part of Asian cultures but is it really a good idea in a love interest? Even if he is just saying company policy.

Which leads me to my frustration with this episode first Tae-yoon there are no words just ugh. Then there’s Joo-yeon I’ll never understand what she sees in Tae-yoon when Wan is right in front of her. Is it habit? Who knows.

I’m definitely enjoying this drama/this particular installment. I can’t figure out any of the characters, they all sort of have a dichotomy within themselves which makes it hard to categorize them, or figure them out completely. It’s like I’m not sure how I feel about them so I’m always asking is he/she this or that. Is Wan really being mature by leaving, or is this one of his calculated (i use that loosely) moves to make Shing Shing realize something? I like that he gave her the ultimatum, but not in the way that he did. Sometimes it seems as though he’s handling her…which is kinda weird, and not at all attractive. He’s genuinely sweet, and does have both a mature side, and a childish side…At the same time, I do feel like he has grown as a character. He’s gone from being this rosy-eyed man who wants shing shing to be one thing, to accepting her.

And then there’s Tae Yoon…I can’t figure him out either. Sometimes he comes off as sweet and unintentionally oblivious, but then other times he’s downright mean and a venomous snake. The part where he talks to Wan about leaving, he actually sent chills down my spine, he was scary. Then the whole part where he tells shing shing to fire pregnant lady, again, can’t decide if he’s being purely professional, or he really is a narrow-minded jerk and masks it as professionalism…

I guess I’m the only one all for the ultimatum from both guys. She is cheating on both of them even if it is “only” emotionally. And for her to not put up boundaries with all that skinship with JW is clearly sending mixed signals. Of course, he did put himself in this position, but that doesn’t mean JY is right to allow the situation to continue either. I wonder what the opinion would be if JY were a guy.

JW didn’t handle everything correctly this ep but I’m so on board with him having some self-respect and leaving the house. JY is an adult woman in her thirties. She should know what she wants by now and if it is the worst boyfriend ever, TY, then so be it. Otherwise, JW is just prolonging the inevitable pain. And honestly, even TY doesn’t deserve to be cheated on like this. I hope he can have a happy ending with his fish

I think the tone of this one is very different from the previous ones (they’re known to be steamy, realistic and feature strong friendships). This one is very underwhelming in the passion department as well as the friendships compared to the previous two (surprisingly… actually I feel like the writing took a different turn abruptly because in the first ep, there was a lot more of the gossipy girly talks and KY loudly mimicking love noises on the phone to Sweet Potato, and then from the next few episodes, JY became some innocent, oblivious schoolgirl overnight… which I flagged as inconsistent writing but oh wells)

I enjoyed the first one a lot because of the friendship trio, and Choi Jin Hyuk. Honestly, for me, the most … consistent thing about all three is the … irritable female leads to be honest. They’re definitely not Candy’s, and they’re fit to theme (in the sense that you can see why they have so many relationship problems) but they kind of drive me crazy.

I love this drama. the plot seem very realistic and its not too easy and not too tough.. but very interesting! the lead pair joo joo couple chemistry also give me a lot of smile during their scene together..